


Short Leash

by Lavender_chan



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Mob Activities, Reader Is Not Frisk, Violence, dadster who acts detached, implied past (sexual) abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-14
Updated: 2016-08-05
Packaged: 2018-07-23 22:13:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7481919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lavender_chan/pseuds/Lavender_chan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Monsters came to the surface thanks to the help of one human child. Despite their claims of peace, and even being granted citizenship, old habits die hard and the Monsters of the Underground find they fit in just fine with the underbelly of society.</p><p>Fitting in and taking control are two different things, so what happens when an alliance with another human mob demands that they trade a few members in order to cement their truce, how will the monsters handle a human programmed for one thing: to get rid of those standing in the way.</p><p>READERxSANS</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Il Cane

**Author's Note:**

> Heyya~
> 
> NEW FANFIC! YAY~
> 
> I hope everyone is doing well; I know I needed that short break after the end of HIAPOTS haha. Here's the new mobtale fanfic that I told everyone about! I hope you all enjoy it, since I love the AU. I'll probably have a lot of heavy influence from 'The Godfather' (I love that movie, I reccomend it 100%), but there is also a lot of heavy influence from a movie called 'Unleashed' that has Jet Li in it (another good movie to watch).
> 
> Just to give you all a **Warning:** I won't be tagging every chapter for violence. Seeing as this is an AU that is based off of the idea of gangs, the mafia and all of that, it should be a given that there will be violence and possibly gore. I can't promise it won't bother some of you, but I won't lie about the story. I hope you all will forgive me (and if this isn't your cup of tea, I hope I can pick you all back up when the sequel to HIAPOTS comes out, where I will be tagging triggers in every chapter)
> 
>  
> 
> I will tag for other triggers!

The house was buzzing with activity; every monster was either trying to clean what had already been cleaned twice already, or moving around to make sure everyone was looking presentable. Boss’s orders.

Sans slumped in his chair near the front door and usually swatted anyone coming close to try and straighten his suit, but when Papyrus finally found him, Sans couldn’t find it in him to stop his brother from fixing his suit.

“BROTHER, COME NOW, SIT UP STRAIGHT AT LEAST UNTIL THE VISITORS ARE GONE,” Papyrus brushed Sans of any invisible dust before leaning back to study his handiwork.

Both were wearing matching suits, with pinstripe vests over different colored shirts--Sans had dark blue, while Papyrus had reddish-orange--and Sans was half-tempted to pull out a cigarette out of sheer boredom, but he wasn’t keen on Toriel finding out and threatening him with her fire magic.

Sans tried not to slump in his chair when Papyrus finally let him sit again, but the temptation was almost overpowering. What did he care who was visiting or why? It was just his job to make sure they didn’t step out of line or try to hurt the Dreemurr’s. Simple job, one he usually wasn’t so overt about. Most of the time, Asgore had him working in the shadows, even under the current Boss’s nose, in order to keep things running smoothly, but no exceptions this time.

A rival gang--a _human_ rival gang--was visiting in order to solidify the truce that had been in place for less than 6 months. Turns out, both gangs trusted each other less than first appearance, big surprise.

Still, willing to have members of the other gang in the inner circles? That was a big risk, one Sans would have advised against, if he was in any real standing with the big bosses. He wasn’t, so he just made sure to keep Papyrus out of any real trouble and to keep his own head down while he did his job.

Easy. Simple.

Sans heard a car pulling up, and the instant hush that fell over the monsters of the house before he was on his feet and waiting near the door to greet the guests. When he opened the door, he tried not to let his grin get too wide.

Were these jokers serious?

There were only four humans, and from the way they were standing, only one was a real bodyguard. Sans supposed it was an extension of trust from them, but he couldn’t help but think how foolish they were.

The man in front wore a bleach-white suit, with a neon purple button up underneath; his tie was zebra-striped and for one queasy moment, Sans wondered if this ‘Boss’ got his fashion tips from Mettaton.

“uh, welcome to the dreemurr house,” Sans glanced over the other three as he rattled off the lines that Toriel had asked him to use; the bodyguard seemed on edge, watching Sans’s hands at all times while the other two--a man with a white lab coat on and a woman with...was that a dog collar??--Sans tried to focus back in on the leader, “lemme show you to the big boss.”

It wasn’t exactly what Toriel wanted him to say, but Sans wasn’t in any mood to exchange pleasantries with this bunch. There was something about the way the labcoat kept studying him that made Sans feel a rat in a maze rather than a deadly bodyguard for the Dreemurr family and the Monster Gang.

The house itself was old--older, Sans thought, than probably most of the houses on the block combined--and showed a craftsmanship that rivaled the palace back in New Home; Sans supposed this was what had drawn Asgore and Toriel to it in the first place. Sans lead the humans through the hallways of the bottom floor until they reached the office that was specifically for Gang business.

The double doors slid open on a track and Sans let the four humans in before him before he entered and slid the doors shut. This room was spacious and seemed to almost be the center of the house, even though the window at the back of the room showed the beautiful garden and a few monster children playing loudly--Sans grit his teeth, not liking the idea of the younger ones being anywhere in view with these strangers. A desk took up the space at the head of the room; it was large and made of cherrywood, and dwarfed the current occupant.

Asgore, despite being the founder and nowhere near retirement, was acting as an advisor only for the current boss: W.D. Gaster. Sans didn’t even catch Gaster’s gaze before he took his place next to Undyne and Toriel. Sans watched labcoat and the woman a little closer as he circled the room and joined the small group of Monsters near the desk. The woman hadn’t even looked up the entire time they’d been walking through the house and Sans had to wonder at that.

“Welcome,” Gaster stood from his place behind the desk and walked around it to shake the lead human’s hand, “Carlington, I presume?”

“Yes, yes! And you must be Gaster,” The human shook Gaster’s hand easily, without even hesitating, which Sans gave him props for, “Gaster, let me introduce my entourage.”

He made a motion with his hands as he rattled off names.

“This is my personal bodyguard--I know you asked I bring so few people, but he really wouldn’t let me leave without him, and he _whines_ so much--Roger.” The bodyguard stood straighter and offered a short bow before he straightened his sunglasses.

“This is the brilliant Dr. Figaro,” The labcoat stepped forward and shook Gaster’s hand, though he was slower about it than Sans would have liked.

The final name Carlington said rang in Sans’s ears a little strange, and Sans found himself snapping to look at the woman, who still hadn’t moved.

“Darling, it's rude to ignore the situation,” Carlington leaned over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders and it was as if she woke up.

You blinked slowly, finally taking in your surroundings as you felt someone touch you. Your eyes flicked up to Carlington, but you didn’t move up to look him in the eye. Instead, you stopped at his chin before nodding slowly at his words.

“This precious darling is the one I’ve chosen to have in your midsts, Gaster,” Carlington finally released your shoulders and waved his arms wide in exaggerated motions, “She’s quite fit for an exterminator, but she’ll follow most _any_ orders.”

Gaster paused at the way Carlington said that phrase, “Most any?”

Carlington shrugged, “We’re in polite company, Gaster; ask again if we get a moment in private.” A wink was thrown Gaster’s way and Sans couldn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes hard enough to give himself a headache.

“How accomplished is she?” Undyne broke in before Gaster could introduce anyone else in the room.

“Ooh, I am so glad you asked,” Carlington chuckled, his eyes narrowing enough to look devious, “Why don’t you and her go a few rounds, Undyne?”

Undyne crossed her arms, smirking, “Want me to break your underling so soon, eh?”

“Don’t underestimate her,” Dr. Figaro chuckled, pushing his glasses up with a strange smile.

There was a chill when Figaro spoke, but Gaster spoke over it.

“Sans, go bring the children in; we’ll do this on the back patio.”

Sans was going to protest--in front of guests or not--but when he glanced at Gaster, he saw a dark look that was leveled on Figaro that made him start to sweat.

“uh, right, boss,” Sans turned and walked back toward the glass door that lead out into the back garden, slipping out of it and closing it before must in the way of sound could get through.

Something was going on, that was for sure, but Sans knew he’d likely be caught by surprise by it because he was so low on the totem pole. Normally it wouldn’t rattle him, but with Papyrus to look after…

Speaking of Papyrus.

“hey, pap,” Sans shoved his hands into his pants pockets, walking toward the taller skeleton.

“BROTHER! WE WERE JUST ABOUT TO START A ROUSING GAME OF HIDE AND SEEK!” Papyrus paused when he saw the look on Sans’s face, “BROTHER, WHAT IS TROUBLING YOU?”

Sans chuckled; he couldn't’ hide anything from Papyrus. It would have to wait for now, though.

“boss’s orders,” Sans said nodding toward the kids, “all the kiddo’s have to get inside and safe...sounds like undyne’s gonna go to town on that human recruit we’re ‘borrowing’.”

“OOH, I UNDERSTAND!” Papyrus stood straight and puffed out his chest, “I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL ROUND THESE CHILDREN UP!”

Sans stood back as Papyrus began collecting children, all of whom were eager to follow Papyrus once they found out that their game would be moving inside. Sans even caught a glimpse of the small pup that he and Papyrus had sort of adopted and he was glad to know that Papyrus would be keeping them safe at the very least.

Once the children were inside and the the door closed tightly, Sans moved back to the glass door that lead into the Boss’s office and stuck his head inside.

“all clear out here, boss.”

“Thank you, Sans.”

Sans held the door open politely for the group to leave, but he found his eyes drawn to you again; your eyes were back on the ground, but your back was straighter, and he could tell you were more alert, more aware of what was going on around you. Maybe it was the way that Figaro didn’t need to guide you with a hand on your back anymore, or the small glance he received when you walked by him. You still didn’t meet his gaze, but you had taken in enough, he wa sure.

Sans caught Undyne as she brought up the rear of the group and spoke softly, “hey, undyne...take this serious, yeah? i don’t like the feeling i get from this whole situation…”

Undyne paused, glancing toward you before nodding, “Gotcha, punk.”

The patio wasn’t large compared to the garden, but the brickwork of it would make a well enough sparring ground for the purposes of this and both Gaster and Carlington seemed pleased with this.

“Step forth, step forth!” Carlington chuckled, spreading his arms wide, “Oh, if only there was a camera and someone to sell this to--we could make a fortune with pay-per-view, darlings!”

Sans twitched; he definitely got Mettaton vibes off of this joker.

Gaster chuckled good naturedly, but motioned for Undyne to step forward, “Don’t feel the need to hold back, Undyne.”

“Please don’t, in fact,” Figaro put a hand on the small of your back, “If you don’t take this seriously, you could die.”

Undyne snarled, but stepped forward, ready for action.

Figaro leaned forward and whispered something only you could hear into your ear.

“Defeat Undyne and make her bow before Carlington; try to keep her alive, but don’t hesitate.”

You froze before straightening your back and for the first time, you met someone’s eyes.

You and Undyne locked stares as you stepped forward, shrugging out of the suit jacket that was all but draped on your shoulders. You paused to fold it, and only tore your eyes away from Undyne in order to find a place to lay it.

Undyne didn’t hesitate, “Don’t look away in a street fight!”

The blue woman leapt forward, drawing her fist back and throwing the punch. She aimed for your jaw, eager to end the fight quickly-

Her fist stopped short when your hand shot up on instinct. Sans felt his jaw drop; it was no small task to be able to see Undyne coming--the woman was fast and she prided herself on her agility and power but you...you hadn’t even been _looking_ at Undyne when you blocked her.

Undyne froze, unable to pull her fist back from where you had caught it; you, on the other hand finally reached out and handed the jacket to Figaro, who almost couldn’t keep himself from laughing loudly. He settled for a chuckle as he grabbed the jacket and folded it neatly over his arm.

Once that was taken care of, you tightened your grip on Undyne’s fist and twisted your body back, so that the opposite elbow came crashing toward the back of her head. Almost too late, she saw it coming and ducked her head, jumping backwards as she ripped her fist out of your hand.

“Shit!” Undyne cursed under her breath, dropping into a wide stance with her fists up to protect herself.

You took a deep breath and closed your eyes for a moment before you opened them again and started to take a step forward. There was no stance, as far as Undyne or Sans could see, but still you walked forward, as if you were trying to meet with them as a friend, rather than fighting Undyne.

Two steps later, and you were running. A leap and you were on Undyne, your eye blazing with your intent. Undyne nearly stepped back, but growled instead, letting one of your fists connect to her shoulder so she could get around your arm and throw her own blow, uppercutting you.

You rolled with the punch, letting yourself fall back, but not before your foot caught Undyne. You landed on your hands and sprang back, landing in a crouch before launching forward again. Sans grit his teeth, watching your relentless forward push. No matter the attack Undyne landed on you--and the woman landed more than you did, to be fair--it was as if you didn’t feel a single one of them.

The fight continued, but seconds was all it took for it to end.

Undyne took a deep breath before blocking a kick from you, but when she moved to make her own attack, you dropped to the ground. Before she could react, you swept her legs out from under her.

The wind was knocked out of her, and she tried to move, but you were already on her. You kicked her side and Undyne was positive she heard a rib crack; but she wasn’t even given a chance to scream in pain before you swept your other leg across her face.

Panting, breathing, trying to get anything back in her lungs, Undyne groaned from the ground. If she would have had a nose, she was sure it would’ve been broken. Her stats flashed in front of her eyes, and while her hp wasn’t too low, she wondered how close she’d have to drop before the human above her was satisfied…

Undyne hissed as you grabbed her hair and yanked her up. You forced her to move and dragged her toward Carlington before forcing the blue woman onto her knees by kicking the back of one of them. It wasn’t until Figaro nodded that you let her go.

Sans narrowed his eyes, watching the four humans, but especially you. You moved without restraint once you were unleashed, but how-

His thought was cut off when Figaro said, “Stand down,” And you dropped to your hands and knees, holding yourself in obvious pain.

Carlington chuckled, ignoring both you and Undyne in favor of turning to Gaster and Asgore, “Quite the show, yes? She’ll make good with our end of the truce, for sure; we used to use her in underground fighting rings--as a woman, everyone wanted to bet against her, but then she’d do _this_ sort of thing and it was just a matter of time before we ordered her to lose on a big bet and boom~”

He snapped his fingers and you went rigid again.

“We made all of our money back,” Carlington smiled, and Sans had to lock his jaw in order to keep himself from saying anything.

Gaster kept an even look on his face, but Asgore showed the distress that seemed to be what everyone else was feeling.

Gaster finally spoke, “So, Carlington, lets you, Asgore and I take a moment alone, yes?”

Roger, the bodyguard, tensed, but a look from Carlington made him relax.

“Sans,” Gaster glanced in his direction, “Make sure Undyne and the new recruit are patched up properly...Toriel, I’m sure he would appreciate your assistance, if you don’t mind.”

Toriel, who had been completely silent up to this point--more out of habit than of any real expectation of her--continued her silence with a curt nod before she moved to Undyne’s side and began whispering to her gently.

Sans took that to mean he ought to move to you.

Figaro watched the monsters carefully, but seemed less inclined to speak now that Carlington was absent from the room. He simply studied Sans as he moved to your side and knelt down.

Now that the fight was over, Sans could see that while you were the technical winner, Undyne had certainly left her mark on you.

You had a nice black eye forming underneath your left eye, a split lip, scattered bruises over your jaw, including one almost black bruise on your collarbone. A glance at your hands showed that they were bruises as well, and Sans supposed it was thanks to Undyne’s tireless training regime that made her tougher than a board to hit. He supposed if he could see your legs, you would have bruises there, too, but he could see for sure where your ankle was swelling.

“hey, tori,” Sans said quietly, catching the larger woman’s attention.

“What is it, Sans?”

“think this is from that first kick to undyne’s jaw?” Sans pulled the hem of your pants up just a touch and you didn’t resist, or even move.

Toriel pressed her lips together before answering, “If it is, than she was fighting on that injury-”

“We’ve taught her not to feel pain while she is carrying out an order,” Figaro cut in suddenly, a strange--almost proud--smile was stretched across his face, “She’s a determined little thing; hasn’t failed at fulfilling an order yet, no matter what physical harm it brings her.”

Sans felt his gut twist, but he leveled a stare on Figaro anyway. The doctor’s face was pale, with a pointed chin, and a scar that stretched from the left corner of his mouth down his neck to his collarbone.

“ _taught_ her?” Sans questioned, almost unable to keep his tone even.

Figaro just smiled, like he was enjoying an inside joke that no one else knew. Sans decided he _really_ didn’t like this joker.


	2. Il Guinzaglio

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter two~
> 
> This is....a much easier posting schedule then I realized xD I think things will get a little harder once I start posting for the sequel to HIAPOTS, haha

Asgore couldn’t keep his mouth shut as soon as Gaster and Carlington has followed him back in the office.

“Carlington, what is going on,” Asgore’s smooth accent cut over anything Gaster or Carlington was going to say, “What happened to that poor girl?”

Carlington didn’t answer until he sat on the edge of the chair Gaster offered him and crossed his legs.

“We didn’t _do_ anything except build on what was already there, Asgore,” Carlington said smoothly, “We raided a warehouse that belonged to that creepy Darknell gang and found her there, half dead and half ‘programmed’.”

Carlington gave a little theatrical shiver, but Gaster spoke.

“What do you mean ‘programmed’?”

“It’s just how it sounds, darling,” Carlington said easily, “Dr. Figaro was able to make sense of their science mumbo-jumbo and apparently, darling, the little miss was kidnapped at birth and they used a few different methods to make her compliant.”

Asgore sank into his seat, looking disgusted, “Methods, hmm? I suppose I could guess at a few of those.”

“Pain, torture, among other things,” Carlington said easily, though his eyes dropped to the floor for a moment while he gathered his next words, “I brought her here because there are a few of my...entourage who have been, shall we say...abusing their power over her. While there are other, probably more useful members of my gang that I could offer for this truce, the poor dear needs somewhere where I’m sure she won’t be taken advantage of, and she _is_ an excellent exterminator.”

Gaster and Asgore glanced at each other, both thinking the same thing before Gaster spoke.

“We appreciate the show of trust,” Gaster brought his hands together to steeple them in front of his chest, “but we make no guarantees for her life, no more than anyone else’s in this life.”

“Oh, of course not,” Carlington gushed, “If she dies in the line of duty, no hard feelings; I’m sure you understand it will be the same for the metal popstar you’ve loaned me.”

He winked easily, but Gaster kept his even facade.

“And Asgore, darling,” Carlington stood from his seat, preparing for the meeting to be over, “You simply must get that little ex of yours to give me that pie recipe; I’d kill for it, you know.”

Despite his cheerful delivery, even Asgore wasn’t sure if Carlington was serious.

“I’ll mention it to her,” Asgore nodded before he and Gaster stood.

“Oh! Before I forget,” Carlington dug in his jacket and pulled out a slip of paper, “Dr. Figaro doesn’t know I swiped these from his files, but these are the keywords she needs to hear before she’ll obey you. Only those who have said the words get priority, so you may want to give them to anyone she’ll be working under.”

Gaster didn’t even look at them before he slipped the paper into his pocket and lead the other two back out onto the patio.

You and Undyne had been moved into a couple of lawn chairs; Undyne was healed up for the most part, despite of couple of bruises and an ice pack being held to her head. You had your ankle currently wrapped in Toriel’s paw as she slowly fed healing magic into the wound.

“Sans, you and Undyne are going to have to give her a little bit of better finesse,” Toriel was saying quietly, “A few tips to teach her how to not injure herself in this kind of fight…”

“don’t worry, tori,” Sans said easily, “we’ll take her under our wing, no bones about it.”

Toriel snorted and shook her head, “Sans…”

Roger even chuckled a little, but all the humor left him when Carlington approached.

“We’re ready to leave now, boys,” Carlington chuckled, but he paused before he moved toward you, a swagger on his hips. He spoke your name and you finally moved on your own.

You looked up at him, your eyes focusing on his chin as he spoke.

“Now, you are to obey this family as if it was ours, understand?” Carlington sent a wink toward Gaster, but he didn’t respond in kind, “Be good, now.”

“Yes, boss,” You said automatically.

Gaster exchanged a look with Asgore before he spoke, “Sans, please show our guests out. After, we’d like a word with you.”

Sans looked between Gaster and Asgore, but nodded, “sure thing, boss.”

Carlington smiled as Sans began to lead the three men around the side of the house, “Be sure to tell your boss it was a pleasure for us, darling…and do take care of our little lamb, yes?”

There was an edge to Carlington’s voice that Sans didn’t appreciate, but he knew better than to let the human get under his skin, so he simply grinned.

“sure thing; ya won’t can’t me a _sheep_ on the job,” Sans winked toward Roger, who snorted despite his best efforts to keep his face neutral.

Dr. Figaro rolled his eyes, but Carlington laughed openly, “Oh, such a funny guy…well, ta-ta, darling!”

Sans watched them until they entered the car, and then watched the car until it left the property. He understood they were part of a truce with these humans, hell, he could even see that it was a good move to keep them as allies, but that didn’t mean he trusted any of them. A sigh left him when he realized he couldn’t stall in meeting back up with Asgore and Gaster. No doubt they had something to talk to him about that he wasn’t going to like.

~*~

Toriel had been trying to get you to answer more than two words to her ever since Carlington and his goons left.

“Now, does that feel better?” Toriel shifted your ankle gently.

“Yes, boss,” You said quietly, your eyes still averted and your voice quiet.

Toriel paused, “Well, do you have any other injuries?”

“No, boss,” You answered.

It was a moment of silence while Toriel considered what to say, but her mouth moved almost automatically.

“Just so you know, I’m not actually a boss around here or anything,” Her voice was gentle, “I used to be, but I don’t particularly like this lifestyle and I stepped down. I’m no more than a house-mother, if you will.”

That made you pause, and then you slowly looked up toward her; you still couldn’t meet her eyes, but it was the first sign of free will Toriel had seen in you since she first saw you.

“…A…house mother…?” You asked quietly, your eyebrows coming together in confusion.

“I take care of The Family,” She supplied easily, “I cook, mostly, but there are children who need watching, and there is always someone in need of healing.”

You nodded in understanding, though you still didn’t speak for a moment or two more.

“So…do people call you, ‘mom’?” Your eyes flicked up to meet hers, but only for a moment and then you were looking down at the patio again.

Toriel giggled quietly, “A few do, most others call me Tori; would _you_ like to call me ‘mom’?

A blush moved over your cheeks and your hands tightened as they held onto the arms of the patio chair you were still sitting in. It wasn’t that you had no emotions, despite what you showed outwardly. The fact was that you felt many different things. The kicker was that you were ‘trained’ not to show any of them; at least, you weren’t allowed to show them to a ‘boss’.

“I…” You swallowed and glanced up at her again, “I w…would.”

“Then you may call me ‘mom’,” Toriel smiled and stood, before she reached down to help you out of the chair, “Come, we’ll wait in the kitchen while Gaster and the boys handle the details.”

You nodded, glancing at the door that lead into the office; through the blinds, you caught a glimpse of Gaster, and Asgore, their heads pulled close together as if they were conferring quietly together. You caught a movement of a door opening and the skeleton from before—Sans?—entered; then, Toriel was sweeping you into the house and into the kitchen.

~*~

Sans glanced between Gaster and Asgore when he entered, but he still shoved his hands into his pants pockets and lazily drifted toward the desk. Despite this, he didn’t take the offered seat and instead stood, watching his bosses with one eye lazily closed.

“so, what d’ya two want to talk to me about?” Sans asked carefully.

Gaster and Asgore glanced at each other briefly—if Sans didn’t know any better, he’d say they could speak telepathically—before Asgore shifted in preparation to speak. Sans straightened a little.

Asgore was a natural born leader; keeping things running and handling people came easy to the large monster. If he was about to speak—the one who willingly stepped down to be an advisor—then Sans wasn’t going to like what was going to be said.

“The new recruit,” Asgore paused, as if gathering his thoughts, “There are some things concerning her that we would like you to directly handle.”

“Namely,” Gaster folded his hands in front of his mouth, “We would like you to take direct responsibility for her.”

Sans waited, knowing there was more—and dreading that he was right.

“She’s…” Asgore looked almost pained, “The circumstances surrounding her situation…”

Gaster took the initiative to explain, and Sans felt his throat tighten and his stomach drop. Every word sent a jolt of… _wrong_ through his body, leaving him feeling uncomfortable.

“so this dame’s got issues,” Sans couldn’t keep his usual light hearted banter, “got screwed around’n the head?”

“More than that, Sans,” Gaster looked down at the desk, “She’s been _programmed_ \--it’s a process that takes a fragile human mind and creates behavioral pathways through pain, torture, abuse—in short, if they broke her down enough, they could make her more obedient.”

Sans grimaced, “she doesn’t exactly seem like a human vegetable.”

“It’s more complex than that,” Gaster said slowly, but he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and slid it over to Sans without looking at it.

“what’s that?” Sans didn’t take it yet, but eyed it warily.

“Part of the child’s programming included words of subjugation,” Asgore explained, his voice rumbling quietly.

“They’re command words,” Gaster added, “Using them makes her 100% compliant.”

Sans stood suddenly, almost knocking his chair over, “woah, woah, ya better not be askin _me_ to use ‘em!”

There was a beat of silence before Asgore offered Sans a small consoling smile, “While it would be advisable-“

“She could turn on us and we’d need someone who has sway over her to stop her,” Gaster interjected.

“-the choice is yours,” Asgore finished, “She will be your responsibility, either way.”

Sans glanced down at the paper and slowly reached out to pocket it. It felt like a dead weight in his pants

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	3. Le Parole

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> So, this slow opening is coming to a close now that everything is set up and things will start happening (hopefully) next chapter :3
> 
> Thanks for all your comments and support! I hope you all keep enjoying this~

The kitchen was bustling and lively, and it wasn’t hard to lose yourself in helping Toriel. The larger woman was quick with a kind worth and careful instruction; with her steady encouragement, you had almost felt comfortable enough to smile. You didn’t—was it proper to smile in this situation?—but the urge had hit you more than once.

Toriel watched as you started to relax, how you even almost seemed normal, and she saw it the moment it all stopped.

Sans walked into the kitchen with his hands shoved into his pockets and a sullen look on his face, and you practically shut down. Your eyes moved to the ground, your movements became jerky and restrained, your emotions—or what she had been starting to see of them—were gone all over again.

Sans didn’t notice anything.

“sorry t’ steal your helper, tori,” Sans forced a smile, and didn’t bother to hide it—Toriel would have noticed either way, “but pap and i have errands t’ run and she’s supposed to go with.”

“I understand, Sans,” Toriel said easily, though she glanced at you once, “Try to go easy on her, yes?”

“no promises,” Sans winked lazily, an uneasy grin on his face, but Toriel didn’t push any further; there were never any promises in this business.

Sans said your name before turned and looking at the only human child in the kitchen.

“Kitten, you two c’mon,” He motioned and turned to leave, not even waiting to see if the two of you would follow, but the small human child—they couldn’t have been more than 5—immediately hugged Toriel’s leg and then followed after Sans.

You hesitated; there was no compulsion to listen to him, but you remembered the last time you had resisted…You followed after the small child, offering Toriel a small wave as you left.

Papyrus met the three of you out front and immediately picked up the small child, “KITTEN! DID YOU HAVE FUN WITH THE LADY ASGORE?”

Before the child could answer, Papyrus caught sight of you and blinked slowly before looking at Sans.

“yeah, i know, pap,” Sans chuckled, “its orders from the top, though; she’s going with us.”

“OH THAT’S FINE!” Papyrus had his energy back in a moment and it almost made you dizzy, “NEW HUMAN! YOU WILL QUITE ENJOY THE SPAGHETTI THAT I WILL MAKE IN HONOR OF YOU JOINING US!”

Sans chuckled, but simply made a motion for the group to start walking. You weren’t sure what to think, or how to act, so you simply fell into step behind the two brothers and looked at the back of their shoes, so as not to lose them as you followed their walking.

Papyrus glanced back at you before looking down at Sans and whispering, “Sans, just what do Asgore and dad want us to do with her?”

Sans shrugged lazily, “who knows, bro; all i know is that we have orders.”

Lying to Papyrus always left a bad taste in his mouth, but Papyrus—and most others in their gang—had no idea that Sans was the one to get things done. Everyone knew that there was, in fact, an exterminator; but it was easier to look someone in the eyes when you had no idea if it was them or not.

It was easier for Sans, too.

Their home, which wasn’t far from the main house, was simple enough: a little two bedroom house, one story and with a big enough kitchen to satisfy Papyrus’s chef’s heart. The small human, who was still in Papyrus’s arms—who you learned couldn’t speak and didn’t know sign language—clung to Papyrus and occasionally Sans.

You hadn’t been given direction by either brother, both of whom you saw as a boss; they dressed the same way as Carlington and the others who had been over you, they sounded similar, so you simply stood to the side of the front door—to be out of the way—and watched them silently, making sure to never meet their eyes, though they seemed to have forgotten you were there.

It wasn’t until Papyrus glanced around looking for you that he noticed your odd behavior.

“YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE SO SHY, HUMAN!” Papyrus smiled with his hands on his hips, “PLEASE COME AND SIT! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL SOON BEGIN TO COOK DINNER!”

You stared at his chest and blinked slowly, but complied. No one had ever used the word ‘please’ with you before. It was always an order, or an encouraging statement, but ‘please’…You swallowed and felt out of your element, anxiety building in your chest as you tried to work through what was expected of you, versus what you were allowed to do.

You sat at the table next to the small human—Kitten; that’s what the two of them kept calling the child—and forced your hands into your lap so they wouldn’t shake.

This domestic scene didn’t feel right. You were used to fighting, killing, and then being shoved into a holding cell or back room until you were needed again. Eating and sleeping were at the permissions of the bosses; while you were never scolded for speaking freely, you were often told to be quiet and had made it a habit not to speak unless you were being directly addressed. Your body itched for something familiar, something that brought a calm, but you simply sat on the chair and looked at the table.

“Ah…ah!”

The small noises—no louder than a coo from a small bird—came from your right and your eyes moved until you were staring down at the face of Kitten. The small child watched you for a moment before a wide smile broke out on their small face and you saw one missing tooth; Kitten laughed quietly before both of their hands reached out for your right hand and held it gently before giving it a mock shake, like they were introducing themselves to you.

“Ah….” You swallowed before saying your name quietly, “Its nice to meet you, Kitten…”

Another giggle and suddenly Kitten was pressed against your side, hugging you even though their small arms didn’t reach around you. You froze and swallowed, but pat their back soothingly.

“KITTEN HAS A WAY WITH PEOPLE! THEY’RE NOT AS GOOD AT IS AS THE GREAT PAPYRUS, BUT THEY HAVE BEEN A GOOD PUPIL!” Papyrus’s voice made you jump and you looked down at the table as he spoke, but nodded in response, “DO NOT FEAR, HUMAN! THE GREAT PAPYRUS, YOU WILL FIND, IS A GOOD FRIEND!”

Friend?

“gee, pap, you’re the coolest,” Sans chuckled, unbuttoning his vest and hanging it on the back of his chair. Underneath, yellow suspenders hooked onto his pants, though Sans slipped both of them off of his shoulders to let him hang at his sides.

You’d never seen a boss dress down that way, except to…

Your breathing hitched and you swallowed, looking down at the table. Just breathe. Even if this boss was the same as the rest, you just had to let it happen and it’d be over; it never hurt if you just let it happen, and _didn’t struggle, it didn’t have to hurt-_

“HUMAN, ARE YOU TIRED?”

Papyrus’s voice shook you from your thoughts and you pressed your lips together before you shook your head. Sans watched you warily, but the way your shoulders dropped, you looked less likely to attack and more likely to just…give up.

You reaction was obviously to his actions, and a thought crossed his mind that made him shift uncomfortably.

_She’s quite fit for an exterminator, but she’ll follow most_ any _orders._

Even as Papyrus finished cooking and they had to encourage you to eat, Sans’s mind whirled with the implications of the piece of paper that was snugly tucked into the pocket of his pants. The fact that Gaster had assured him—complete compliance—made his stomach turn even as he ate Papyrus’s spaghetti.

Why had they bothered to come to the surface? From what Sans could tell, nothing was like how they dreamed; humans were dark and hateful creatures who brutalized everyone, including their own kind. Sans’s eyes rested on you as you slowly ate and helped Kitten with their own meal.

His skull buzzed and it wasn’t long before he excused himself from the table and hid away in his bedroom. His room was the normal mess that he had always kept it, but his didn’t take in a single detail as he moved to the bed and nearly collapsed on it. This alliance was proving to be nothing but a headache for Sans.

Without meaning to, he plucked the paper from his pocket and stared at it. It was still folded, and a part of him—a curious, and altogether darker part of him—wanted to open it and read the words. Just what were they? A random assortment, thrown together in a way that you wouldn’t have heard them on accident? A phrase of control? Would the words hold any meaning to you, other than to lock your mind and turn you into a compliant killer?

Sans didn’t like it and shoved the paper back into his pocket. He’d have to talk to you, no matter how much he didn’t want to. The fact was, if he could avoid having a puppet, he would avoid it; no one should have that kind of control over another being, but the words that Asgore and Gaster said floated through his mind again.

The humans had control over you; many of them, if that was the vibe he got. You were only here because you’d been ordered to stay, so how long before someone got a hold of you and ordered you to kill? To kill Gaster and Asgore, Toriel and Papyrus? What about Kitten? Could he really let you roam, unchecked, with his brother and Kitten within your killing reach?

His arm settled over his eyes and he groaned quietly.

Fuck Gaster. And Fuck Asgore, too. It was no wonder they shoved this responsibility off onto him.

~*~

Papyrus set up the couch as a makeshift bed, and spoke jovially as he made it.

“HUMAN, THIS IS WHERE YOU MAY SLEEP! WE DON’T HAVE ANOTHER BEDROOM, BUT KITTEN NORMALLY SLEEPS WITH EITHER SANS OR I, SO THIS SPACE IS AVAILABLE TO YOU UNTIL WE CAN COME UP WITH A DECENT SOLUTION!”

You nodded, but simply watched him work. It was a strange feeling, seeing someone else do something for you, rather than the other way around. You shifted in your clothes, figuring you’d sleep in them—which was nothing new; you’d mastered the art of sleeping without getting too many wrinkles in your suit from long nights back in your holding cell—but you still shrugged out of your suit jacket and folded it neatly before setting it on the back of the couch, followed by your vest. You didn’t need a belt or suspenders, so you unbuttoned your sleeves and rolled them up to avoid overheating and then gave a quiet, “Thank you,” to Papyrus after he proudly presented the makeshift bed.

“THINK NOTHING OF IT, HUMAN! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM VERY HOSPITABLE AND VERY GOOD TO GUESTS!”

Guests? Is that what you were? You weren’t a ‘grunt’ or a ‘pawn’?

You took in a slow breath and sat on the couch.

“…thank you, boss,” You said again, folding your hands neatly in your lap.

Papyrus hesitated before chuckling, “NONSENSE HUMAN! I AM NOT ONE OF THE BOSSES! I AM SIMPLY SOMEONE WHO HELPS MY BROTHER! BUT! I WILL BE A BOSS ONE DAY! THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL BE ONE OF THE MOST FEARED BODYGUARDS, JUST LIKE UNDYNE!”

You blinked and nodded, but still couldn’t look up at him. So many people you’ve met today who refuse to let themselves be called boss…back in Carlington’s gang, everyone was above you, everyone wanted to be the boss of somebody and you were a ready-made underling, who already called everyone ‘boss’.

“GOODNIGHT, HUMAN!” Papyrus seemed so proud of his handiwork and he turned to the hallway and disappeared for the night.

Kitten hesitated to follow for a moment before they came closer and hugged you tightly. Their brown hair fell around their ears—it looked freshly cut, from what you could tell—and a bow was tied in their hair, so you assumed with that, and the nickname ‘Kitten’ that this child was a girl, though you simply hugged them back and patted their head.

You hoped sleep would come somewhat easily tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	4. L'ombra Parlando Al Buio

Perhaps it was lucky that you slept as well as you did, because it was Sans who woke you the next morning, the back of his hand patting your shoulder. You woke suddenly, with a quick intake of breath, but as soon as you focused on him, your body relaxed.

“Yes, boss?” Your voice was hoarse and quiet, but you were already sitting up at the ready.

“whoa, calm down, buddy,” Sans closed one eye lazily as he looked down at you, “there ain’t no fire.”

You blinked at him slowly; he said fire with a ‘y’, like ‘fi-yah’ and while you understood him immediately, you still puzzled him for a moment while you waited to see why he woke you. The rest of the house was still dark and silent, though you could see the starting of sunlight through the blinds. It gave the room an almost cool blue tone.

When you didn’t say anything else, Sans took the initiative, “c’mon, pal, you and i are gunna take a walk together.”

Take a walk? You almost didn’t believe him. He was all dressed up again, just like yesterday, except he didn’t have his suit overcoat, and his vest wasn’t buttoned. You nodded slowly, and started to prepare yourself; you rolled your sleeves down and buttoned them and reached for your vest and jacket before Sans tutted.

“leave the jacket, we don’t need it where we’re goin,” Sans said, and you felt a chill go up your spine. What exactly did he mean by that?

You still slipped on your vest and straightened your tie, but you left the vest unbuttoned to match Sans’s. He seemed pleased with that and lead you toward the door, where he grabbed a dark blue fedora and slipped it over his skull before leading you out into the morning air.

Sans stopped on the porch and stretched, and you eyed him quietly when you heard a few of his bones pop. Being made completely of bone, you half wondered at the sounds before you quickly moved to follow the brisk pace Sans set as he suddenly left the porch and started to lead you from the front door and down the road.

Your eyes scanned the surroundings, but at this early hour—an hour where the sun wasn’t even visible and the air almost had a lazy blue tinge rather than any real light—there weren’t even vagrants out and about. There was a calm, even at the pace Sans set for the two of you. Your eyes found the back of his skull and you realized that he was indeed shorter than you; not by a lot, but by enough that you could see over the top of his head as you both walked. It would have amused you, if you would have bothered to think about it.

Sans didn’t slow his pace until the two of you were starting to walk past the taller buildings of the downtown area, and then he almost started to meander, and stroll across the concrete sidewalks.

“ya know,” Sans finally said after the long silence that had settled between the two of you, “i adore paps; he’s the coolest brother a guy like me could have.”

There was a beat of silence, but you didn’t respond or comment, so he continued, “i would do just about anything to keep my bro safe, and a part of that is working for the family; the dreamurr’s have been good to me and paps. took us in, gave us jobs, keep us with a decent wage…probably the kindest monsters around, even when they had to get rough with humans.”

His voice had its own drawl to it, one that you easily associated with the big city and with mobster types. Still, you kept heed of what exactly he was saying as the two of you continued along the sidewalk.

Before he could continue talking, however, Sans suddenly turned into a door and started through it, making a motion with his head to you to indicate you should follow. You hesitated long enough to look up and see that he was leading you into bar called “Grillby’s”, but you didn’t wait any longer to duck into the building after him.

The building was completely empty, save for a fire elemental behind the bar. You watched his flames flicker quietly as he acknowledged Sans—he must have been the owner, if the way he was cleaning was any indication.

“heyya, grillbz,” Sans went to the bar and sat at the very end before motioning you into the stool next to him.

“whatcha havin, pal?” Sans asked, watching you from the corner of his eye.

You blinked slowly, before looking toward the bartender—you had guessed his name was Grillby—with a look of utter confusion on your face. What sort of place was this? You knew it was a bar because you’d executed a few of Carlington’s enemies in establishments similar to this one, but you never hung around or bothered to examine anything outside of your mission.

You pressed your lips together and looked at Sans, trying to convey your utter loss at the question.

Sans seemed to catch on quickly, “…geez, you never been taken to breakfast, buddy?”

You shook your head.

The skeleton stared at you for a long moment before he turned to Grillby, “two orders of my usual, grillby; put it on my tab.”

Grillby—you assumed—rolled his eyes before disappearing into the back of the store.

“other than it bein a cryin shame that no one has treated you before,” Sans started to say almost immediately, “there is something i wanted to chat with you about, pal.”

His tone dropped and despite the friendly way he talked, you still felt a chill run up your spine.

“Y…yes, boss?” You hesitated, but still turned your body to face him, even if you didn’t look him in the eye.

“you see this here?”

You glanced up and saw the folded piece of paper in his hand and for a moment you were clueless; then it hit you. There was really only one thing it _could_ be, of course and it didn’t take a rocket scientists to figure out why Sans would have that piece of paper.

“Yes, boss,” You said quietly.

“i guess you know what it is, then,” Sans glanced at you up and down and saw the way your shoulders sagged and your eyes took on that faraway gaze of someone who’s seen too much and can’t come to terms with it, “listen, buddy…if its all the same to you, i’d like to avoid using these.”

You started, almost violently enough to fall out of the stool. Your head shot up and for the first time, you met Sans’s eyes.

A light shining in the void. That was the first thought that crossed your head when your eyes met his white pinpricks that seemed to swim in a dark pool. Like someone had plucked a star from the sky for each of his eyes and settled them into his skull. You swallowed, feeling the blood drain from your face before your let your head drop and you stared at the floor.

Sans had to take a moment to collect the thoughts that had scattered when he locked his gaze with yours. Their color was only matched by the intensity of the expressiveness there; he didn’t need to guess what you were thinking or feeling—they were there for anyone to see. As soon as the color drained from your face, he knew what was bothering you.

“ya don’t have to worry bout lookin someone in the eye round here,” He said easily, though it was a moment more before he could move his body, “and anyway, back to what i was sayin—i don’t really wanna use these words here.”

You swallowed before asking quietly, “Why…?”

Sans stopped as he opened his mouth to continue. Wasn’t that the question of the year? Why wasn’t he opening this slip of paper and reading the words written there? Sure, he’d feel like shit for it, but he had to think of Papyrus. He had to think about Kitten. And what about Toriel? Or Asgore and his own father?

“i…i just can’t reconcile it in my head, ok?” Sans tried to keep the frustratin out of his voice, but he could hear the edge of it coming out as he spoke and from the way you winced, he guessed you could hear it too, “listen, i wanna know if you’re gunna make this difficult for me.”

“Huh?” You straightened up and looked up—you didn’t meet his gaze again, but you stared at his chin.

“if i give ya my word that i won’t use this piece of paper here,” Sans shook the paper for emphasis, “will ya give me any trouble? or can i count on ya to follow my lead and do as i say?”

He…wasn’t going to use you like a pet bodyguard? Your throat went dry and you almost felt a brick slip into your stomach.

“I…” You swallowed before nodding, “I would listen to you, boss; I promise, you won’t have to use those.”

Sans stared at you before he said, “look me in the eye and make a promise.”

You blinked before meeting his gaze for the second time in so many minutes, “I promise, I’d follow your lead and orders, boss.”

His eyes—so much like stars, you couldn’t get it out of your head—darted back and forth quietly while he seemed to be searching. For what, you weren’t sure, but you still matched his gaze.

“….alright, buddy,” Sans said, nodding as if to affirm something, “i’m holding you to this, yeah?”

“Yes, boss,” You said quickly, wanting to assure Sans quickly that he hadn’t made a mistake.

“alright, first order: just call me ‘sans’; as in ‘sans the skeleton’,” Sans chuckled, tucking the folded paper into his pocket again.

You were conflicted immediately. On one hand, you’d never been allowed to use a boss’s first name; on the other, he’d said it was an order and you had just given your word that you’d obey.

“Right…Sans,” You tested it quietly to yourself first, though he could hear you clearly. “Sans the skeleton.”

Sans chuckled, “well, technically, it’s just ‘sans’; but i like your enthusiasm, pal.”

You felt heat rush to your face, but before either of you could say anything else, Grillby returned with two plates of piping hot food and you were treated to something Sans affectionately referred to as ‘breakfast’.

~*~

“Do you think she’ll go through with it?”

“Of course she will; she’s nothing more than a puppet in my scheme.”

“You realize, of course, that if this doesn’t work, _he’ll_ have your head.” The first voice replied easily, almost tauntingly.

“If this doesn’t work, I’d deserve to die; it’s a perfect plan.” The second voice drolled out.

Two dark figures spoke bluntly together in the mouth of a dark alleyway, both watching the crowd of pedestrians walk by—none of the passersby gave a second glance to the two figures and the two men felt isolated and spoke freely, even within speaking distance of the crowds of people.

The first voice—a short man, with a heavy dark cloak—spoke again, “I’m warning you; if you don’t deliver on your promise, then Carlington will be the _least_ of your worries, Figaro.”

“Don’t speak to me so familiarly,” Figaro snapped quietly, “And you’ll have your results. Even if I have to drag them out of her skin, one decimal point at a time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	5. La Missione

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> Next chapter and things are starting to move~
> 
> ALSO! Please go and read [This Tumblr Post](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/post/147787151661/ok-i-feel-i-need-to-clear-something-up), I wanted to address something that I'm starting to see among my readers...its important to me, and I'd appreciate it, lovelies! (and please note, its not talking about all of my followers; you'll know if its about you, I promise)

You were still getting used to the idea of not being compelled to obey orders. It was a strange feeling that settled in your chest like air and made you feel almost lighter.

“ready to get today started, pal?”

Despite what had been discussed in Grillby’s, you still couldn’t look Sans in the eye. You nodded and slipped off the stool and followed Sans out into the neighborhood. Sans didn’t speak again for a little while, and you kept your eyes peeled for anything suspicious.

“we’re gunna have ta collect a payment before we go and meet paps and kitten,” Sans said.

A shakedown was something you knew; someone, somewhere was under the ‘protection’ of the mob and hadn’t paid their dues. You could grasp the idea of it being extortion, but you cared little for the lives of those who didn’t directly rule over you. Your ‘trainers’ and even Carlington’s men explained it simply enough:

They’re weak, and we’re strong; we own that territory and they’re just renting.

Despite having never been educated in anything other than the mafia lifestyle, you still understood deeper concepts than that; not that you’d ever let anyone around you know. That was almost asking to be locked away and taught a lesson in keeping focus.

“Are they just forgetful or rebellious?” The question slid easily out of your mouth as you scanned the crowd ahead of you.

Sans glanced at you before shrugging, “won’t know ‘til we get there, buddy.”

You glanced down at him and catching him glancing right back up at you.

“You really have no idea?” You asked curiously, staring at his teeth to avoid his gaze.

“no need to _look down_ on me, pal,” Sans’s grin got wider, if that was possible, “we’ll know what we need to know _short_ ly.”

You blinked, hearing his voice and inflection change over the sentence like water over a rocky shore. Was he…trying to say something? Like a code? You glanced around again automatically before looking down at him again-

Then it clicked. What he said and how he said it—he had made some kind of _joke_.

And the moment you realized that, you snorted. Sans almost tripped when he heard the sound come from your mouth and looked back up at you. You had clapped a hand over your mouth, almost shocked by the sound that left you.

The look of shock that crossed your face made Sans pause, “woah, buddy; no need to look so out of _snorts_. it’s perfectly acceptable to laugh at my hilarious puns.”

You blinked slowly, looking at him with your hand still covering your mouth, but you spoke from behind it, “Laugh? You mean like…what bosses do when they’re happy, right?”

Sans really did stop walking then, “how do ya not know what laughing is? haven’tcha ever let loose and watched a comedy?”

There was silence from you; you _knew_ what laughter was. You’d seen the bosses from Carlington’s gang laughing together—usually while making fun of you—but it was never something you’d done yourself. The sound, the _feeling_ , had never swelled in your chest the way it had when Sans made his puns.

“I…” You pressed your lips together and shook your head, “We should focus on the job…”

Sans wanted to push; he knew he could push, if only because you were so afraid he’d pull that piece of paper out of his pocket and read it. A moment passed between you both where you wouldn’t even look in Sans’s direction and Sans didn’t know what to say; the idea of pushing seemed…wrong. You might push back and refuse, but wouldn’t it seem more likely that you would give in and bare all your inner most personal thoughts, silently wishing he didn’t still own that piece of paper that would always be above your head?

“…alright, pal,” Sans said quietly before he turned and lead the way down the street.

~*~

The storefront in question that Sans lead you to was some sort of tailoring business. There were only humans inside, and a part of you wondered what they thought about being subject to paying ‘protection’ fees to a gang of monsters; the honest answer was that it didn’t matter. You and Sans were here to do a job, and that was all that mattered.

The door had a bell that jingled when you and Sans entered, and the woman behind the counter froze when her eyes landed on Sans, before they trailed over you.

“What do you want…?”

“straight ta business, then?” Sans chuckled, one eye lazily closing before he walked closer to the counter, “ya know who i work for, so ya don’t even need ta ask that question, right?”

The woman stepped back before turning and hurrying into the back of the store. There was suddenly two hushed voices before you slipped your hands out of your pockets, clenching your fists at your sides. You weren’t used to this easy approach and it put you on edge.

You were usually the one they sent in after the mark had already used their last chance to blow off the Carlington gang. You were the one who ‘cleaned up’ and either took the money, or showed how badly the mark needed the gang’s protection. Sitting here waiting for a whispered conversation made you tense and uneasy.

The woman didn’t reappear; instead, a man walked through the back door and slowly paced up to the counter where you and Sans were waiting. Sans didn’t even seem concerned, though the man was easily twice Sans’s height and triple his weight.

“you the one who’s gunna pay the fee, _buddy_?” Sans stressed the last word and the man, who had been about to walk around the counter, stopped.

His eyes moved to Sans and you half expected the man to start laughing, or even to start questioning Sans’s sanity. Not that it mattered to you; you were pretty sure you could get the drop on him, even if he towered over you.

Whatever the man saw on Sans’s face, however, made him back away a step and you could see his hands come up defensively.

“Y-you…” The man seemed to steel himself before he stepped forward again, “I’m not scared of y-you!”

The way his voice cracked spoke differently, but you were focused on the larger man’s movements; he was walking around the counter now, cracking his knuckles with intent. Sans’s hands finally came out of his pockets, but you were already moving.

Sans saw the blur of your body as you passed by him; his left eye, which had started to burn with power, died as he watched you dart into action without even needing to be ordered to. The man saw you coming, but didn’t move to stop you, and even looked away—he had already judged you harmless and you were going to use that to your advantage.

Your foot came up, and soon your heel was smashed against the man’s groin, as hard as you were able to. Sans even winced, though you were focused on your task.

The man fell to his knees, his hands pressed to his tender nether regions, but you were already moving again. Even on his knees, you had to jump to connect a knee to the man’s chin, but it had its desired affect: the man lurched backward, his body off balance. You turned, spun and kicked him square in the chest to make him fall all the faster.

As soon as he hit the ground—had the walls shook, or was that your imagination?—you were over him, your foot slamming across his face before you rested your heel on his throat.

“You were asked to pay a fee,” You breathed, glaring down coolly at the man, “ _Pay_ it, or the next time, I won’t stop.”

Sans grabbed your arm and gently pulled you back, “woah there, no need to kill him yet.”

He chuckled easily before tipping his hat at the man, “she’s right, though; next time we have ta come here, i’m under orders not ta show mercy…and it don’t come naturally to me anyway, pal.”

The man choked and sputtered on the floor and out of the corner of your eye, you saw the woman hiding in the doorway, watching fearfully before she darted from the doorway and came to stand behind the counter.

“J-just leave us be! We didn’t ask to be ‘protected’ by you lot!”

When you turned to look at her, she nearly screamed and took a step back.

Sans chuckled before answering, “ya see, that’s not how it works, and you know it; if ya weren’t payin us, some other gang would be in here hasslin’ ya day and night…and who knows how nice they’d be compared to us.”

You let Sans talk, but you crossed your arms and let your eyes slide between the woman and the man; both seemed to have that same haggard look that so many people shared nowadays. The idea that so many people could look the same…you steeled yourself, against the risk that you might start feeling something for these people.

They were marks, and it wasn’t outside the realm of reason that you might be ordered to kill them.

“listen, folks,” Sans shoved his hands in his pockets, “i don’t _enjoy_ doin this part of the job; and ya gotta admit, that it ain’t half bad bein protected by monsters. ya store was never hurt, and we ain’t askin for every last dime ya own.”

The woman pressed her lips together before she said, “That would be nice, except there’s another gang trying to pressure us into paying _them_ off as well!”

The man, who was finally able to sit up, snapped, “Stop talking! They said they’d burn the shop down if we said anything…”

Sans froze, glancing between the two humans before you saw his body tense.

“well, let’s see if we can’t fix that little problem,” Sans said quietly, and you felt a chill go up your spine; by the look on the other two humans’ faces, they felt it as well, “ya got a phone i can borrow?”

Despite their hesitation, the woman finally pointed to a small alcove behind a few hanging sheets and Sans disappeared behind them.

You crossed your arms and stood, letting your eyes pass over one and then the other. They shifted uncomfortably, but the man finally spoke.

“Why are you working for a bunch of monsters?” He grumbled, glaring up at you.

You didn’t answer.

“What, don’t you speak? I heard you talk before,” He growled quietly.

“Harold, stop,” the woman breathed, gripping her shirt, “If they can help, then we’ll be in their debt, so just stop…”

The man looked about to snap at her when Sans reappeared, his focus on you.

“change of plans, pal,” Sans seemed completely calm again, “we’re gunna stand guard ‘til undyne shows up; we got a protection order ta carry out.”

You blinked at him but nodded. “Yes, boss.”

The man and the woman exchanged glances, their faces somewhere between relieved and curious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	6. I Risultati

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> Guys, the sequel to HIAPOTS is coming out TOMORROW~ I'm so excited, I could squeal haha.
> 
> I hope you all are as excited as I am :3 I'm practically buzzing and its still nearly 24 hours before I'll be posting it! Just so everyone is aware (well, everyone who reads this story or these notes haha) I'll be posting _Two_ chapters tomorrow~ Sort of a release date bonus, I suppose? Whatever you want to call it, at least haha.
> 
> Enjoy this chapter~

“Which gang has been pushin in on our turf?” Undyne crossed her arms and decidedly ignored you.

Sans and you had stood guard over the store for nearly an hour when the blue fish woman had pulled up in an older, almost beat up looking car. You could see old bullet holes and the tarp over the top of it had rips and tears in it. 

“dunno,” Sans shrugged as he lazily leaned against the front of the store.

“You didn’t even bother to ASK??” Undyne snapped, “You’re so fuckin lazy, I swear…”

Undyne started to grumble, but before she could walk away Sans’s hand moved to grab her sleeve, keeping her from walking away. Undyne scowled down at the skeleton, but didn’t snap at him again.

“now, i didn’t say that, did i?” Sans’s grin widened a little, but you couldn’t tell if it was forming into a teasing smile or a grimace, “what i said was that i didn’t know; the couple inside couldn’t place ‘em. said something about them looking more like hood rats than mobsters.”

Undyne paused and even though you couldn’t see her face completely, you could imagine the curious disbelief that matched her voice when she next spoke.

“Hood rats? Why would a couple of kids just waltz into a store and try to swindle the store owners like that?” Undyne glanced into the store, “They put up a fight?”

Undyne must have noticed the black eye that you had given the man, but you pressed your lips together.

“tried,” Sans chuckled, “the newbie really took it in hand, let me tell ya.”

After Sans motioned to you, Undyne finally looked at you. Her one yellow eye scanned over you—for injuries or to size you up, you couldn’t tell which—before she shrugged.

“As long as there weren’t any problems,” Undyne answered, “Me and my boys will look into this, for now. See if there are any other places on our turf that are being strong-armed…”

“in that case, we’ll head out,” Sans pushed off the wall and motioned for you to follow, “see ya ‘round.”

Undyne shook her head, but didn’t say anything. You could feel her hard stare on your back, but you didn’t turn around to meet her gaze. She didn’t trust you, that much was obvious, but now it was clear that she didn’t particularly like you either.

“whoo, she’s a cold fish,” Sans chuckled, and you couldn’t stop yourself from lifting a corner of your mouth in a half smile, “ya kicked her ass yesterday, so i don’t think she’s gunna warm up any time soon, neither.”

You shrugged, trying to get his attention off of you.

“not talkative, eh? i kinda picked up on that,” Sans reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a cigarette before putting the small tin case away and pulling out a lighter.

You actually turned your head to stare at the cigarette, wondering just _how_ he was going to smoke it when he looked like a skeleton. A mental image of organs sitting inside of his ribcage and clothes made a chill run up your spine, but how else would he have the lungs to breath in the smoke?

Sans didn’t seem to notice your staring or your internal struggle as he put the cigarette to his teeth—he didn’t even open his mouth, you noted—and sucked in a long drag of fumes before holding in a moment and sighing out the smoke through his teeth and nose hole.

He glanced up at you—and you quickly turned your head to face front again—before he chuckled and spoke.

“want one, pal?”

You shook your head, “No, I don’t smoke.”

“have ya wanted ta? i can’t see those old bastards offerin’ ya one before,” He said easily.

“Ah…” You blinked, glancing at the cigarette that rested between two of his fingers before you shook your head, “No…no I don’t really want to.”

Sans nodded, “That’s fine; not smoking makes ya feel _lighter_ , anyway.”

A smile appeared on your face, unbidden.

He saw it and said, “no need to throw a _smoke_ screen, pal; i know i’m hilarious.”

You snorted before a small laugh came out of your mouth; you still reflexively put your hand up to cover your mouth, but you couldn’t stop the small giggles that escaped.

Sans closed one eye lazily, winking at you as the two of you continued your walk. It was fascinating to see the emotion flood your face as you tried to hide your laughter at his puns; most of the time, you kept a neutral look on your face, keeping your thoughts a secret but laughter slipped out of your mouth as easily as it did Kitten’s or Papyrus’s. It was less that you hid your emotions and more that, perhaps, you just didn’t know how to handle them. Like they were a foreign and underused concept for you.

The Dreemur house was quiet today; many of the people who had been there the day before were mostly for show for the Carlington gang, and now they were back in their own homes and on their own missions.

Sans opened the front door and took off his hat, hanging it next to the doorway on a hook before leading you inside and closing the door behind him.

“paps and kitten should still be here,” Sans informed you, “but first, we gotta go talk to the big bosses.”

You nodded before he lead you to the back of the house to a familiar office.

Asgore and Gaster were both in their places: Gaster sat behind the too-big desk while Asgore sat on a couch nearby. Both had been in some deep conversation, though the door was open and they looked up when Sans knocked on the doorjamb.

“heyya,” Sans said smoothly before leading you inside.

“Sans,” Gaster looked over Sans once before his eyes moved to you; he watched you carefully, even as he continued to address Sans, “I heard there was some trouble with your mission today.”

“no trouble,” Sans shrugged.

“Then why did you feel the need to call Undyne?” Gaster raised a brow and you got the distinct feeling that Gaster and Sans were almost faking their interaction; Sans was being polite, but it was forced and he didn’t speak freely, while Gaster continued to turn a critical eye to Sans.

“thought undyne might appreciate a few minute outta the house,” Sans shrugged; Asgore chuckled, but Gaster didn’t look amused.

“Sans…”

Sans tried to look chastised as he answered, “someone’s hirin street rats to try and muscle in on our turf; not well, i’ll add, but they’re tryin.”

Asgore’s chuckle ended abruptly and Gaster looked alarmed, “What? What do you mean, Sans?”

Sans explained what happened when the two of you arrived at the tailoring store, and embellished a little when describing how you handled the larger man. You didn’t correct him, but looked down; once Sans got to the part where he called Undyne, he began to slow down a little.

“i asked ‘em both who had come in to try’n hassle ‘em,” Sans said, “they both said it was some kids who had a large bodyguard waiting outside.”

Asgore rumbled, “It sounds too unprofessional for it to have been a real gang, Sans...or even training new recruits for a gang.”

Sans shook his head, “i’m not sayin it makes sense; i’m sayin that whoever hired ‘em didn’t want us knowin who was tryin to muscle in on our turf.”

Gaster spoke again, “But why would someone want to start a turf war with us? Most of the larger gangs have an alliance either with us, or with an ally of ours, so they wouldn’t dare, and the smaller gangs would never try such a thing…”

Asgore put a hand to his beard, “Perhaps they are trying to start trying to divide our attention? Hope that we throw in all of our effort to stopping the attacks on our turf and then moving to hit us somewhere else?”

“dunno, i’m just a grunt,” Sans shrugged, “i just do what i’m told and all that.”

Gaster almost seemed to glare at Sans for that statement, but you weren’t sure why.

Asgore shook his head, “We’ll put our heads together and figure this out; for now, I suggest Undyne and her guards start patrolling the outer edges of our turf and keep an eye out for anything untoward.”

Gaster nodded, “I agree…Sans, you and your charge will be needed for a few other missions, to pick up any slack.”

“whatever you say, boss,” Sans shrugged, closing both eyes almost serenely.

“Yes, boss,” You answered after, since you were also addressed.

Both Asgore and Gaster looked at you then, though you simply stared down at Gaster’s desk. They both studied you before glancing at each other.

“Sans, send her to help Toriel in the kitchen, would you?”

Gaster’s words were quiet and he didn’t take his eyes off of you while he spoke.

“eh? sure,” Sans shoved his hands into his pockets and tried to ignore the paper that was still there, “you heard ‘em, pal.”

You glanced at Sans before nodding, “Yes, boss.”

As soon as you left, and they were sure that you were out of earshot, both Asgore and Gaster looked at Sans.

“Is she compliant?” Gaster asked, clasping his hands together.

Sans already knew what Gaster was trying to ask, “i didn’t use that paper; didn’t see a need to when i explained to her that all she needed to do was listen and i wouldn’t haveta use it.”

“That’s dangerous,” Gaster stated, but Asgore cut in.

“So, she is aware of such a method used to control her?”

“yeah, and she doesn’t seem fond of it,” Sans answered.

“It must be hard,” Asgore said after a short pause, “Knowing that you will be ordered to do something against your will…”

There was quiet in the room as Gaster watched Asgore before sighing audibly, “Sans, I am of the opinion that you should use that paper, and not just because it would be our way of controlling an unknown value. You and Papyrus are my sons and having her near you—living with you, even—makes me uncomfortable, knowing there are humans who could order her to attack.”

“It’s not an opinion that we share,” Asgore added quietly.

“I still would feel better if that piece of paper were used,” Gaster finished.

“then _you_ use it,” Sans snapped, “except ya don’t want that kinda power over another being; that’s why ya shoved it off on me.”

Gaster looked like Sans had slapped him, but before he could open his mouth to speak, Sans spoke again.

“don’t expect me ta do anything _you_ aren’t willin ta do first,” Sans didn’t wait to be dismissed; he turned and left the room without another thought.

“Sans, wait!” Gaster tried to call after him, but Sans didn’t stop, “Damnit…”

Asgore rested a large paw on Gaster’s back, “I know you wish the best for your children, but Sans isn’t wrong…”

Gaster put his hands over his face for a moment before nodding slowly, “I know; and I should have known Sans would see through that. He’s certainly as smart as I am, or smarter.”

“The two of you will find a way to speaking terms again,” Asgore encouraged quietly, “At least he deems this work important enough to leave it at the door.”

“True…this house and the monsters around us are all we have left, I suppose,” Gaster rubbed his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	7. La Morbidezza

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> Bit of a shorter chapter here, lovelies; the slow introductions are taking place and people are settling into a routine. We'll see what happens from here, yeah?

The kitchen was still bustling, though there were far less people in it than yesterday, you noted.

“HUMAN! WE WERE JUST HELPING THE LADY ASGORE BAKE COOKIES!” Papyrus said as you came through the archway into the kitchen, “THOUGH…I AM NOT SURE HOW THEY WILL BE VERY GOOD WITHOUT SPAGHETTI IN THEM…”

“I promise, they’ll be edible, Papyrus,” Toriel giggled quietly, “And my name is ‘Toriel’, dear.”

“OH, RIGHT,” Papyrus chuckled before helping Kitten up to the counter so they could use a cookie cutter.

“Don’t be afraid to help, child,” Toriel offered you a smile, “Just come in a wash your hands…yes, like that.”

You washed and dried your hands, shoving your sleeves up unconsciously before you moved to help make small balls of cookie dough and helping Kitten cut shapes. Papyrus was boisterously loud—such a contrast to Toriel’s quiet humor—but it was strangely warm. The way that they obviously had a level of respect for each other and their interactions were so…familial.

They really were like a family. The thought made a small ache appear in your chest, but you tried to push it away. There wasn’t room for a family in a gang, right? That’s how the Carlington gang ran it: they were partners, they were friends, but each had a sense to watch their own back because anyone could turn into an enemy at any time.

And you were just a lapdog anyway.

You pressed your lips together, but managed to keep your thoughts to yourself, for the most part. Only Kitten seemed to notice your change in mood, but they placed a small hand over your own, offered you a smile and then went back to cookies when you smiled back.

They were a cute kid; you felt a strong sense of protectiveness over them, something you’d never really felt while with the Carlington gang. Yes, you had been ordered to protect different members of the gang, but you’d never felt _protective_ about them. It was an order; just a job that you were forced to do.

Things were different here and it was still really hard to wrap your head around.

“Now, don’t look so down,” Toriel said your name gently before pulling you away from the trays of cookies—which Papyrus started to arrange in a likeness of his face, or so he said—and brushing off the front of your clothes, which were covered in flour and such, “This is bonding time and you’re away from all the drama of the working rooms; we smile while in this kitchen, young lady.”

Her voice wasn’t even stern, but you felt the smile appear on your face before you could think about it, “Alright, mom.”

The way she gushed over your calling her ‘mom’ made your smile grow and before you could stop it a small laugh left your throat.

Sans could only stand and stare from the doorway, his usual grin dropped in surprise, blinking at the ease that you relaxed in this group. Toriel hadn’t noticed him yet, but Papyrus had turned just in time to see Sans’s reaction to your laughter and the younger brother paused long enough to give a long look between you and his older brother.

“SANS, YOU LAZY BROTHER, COME IN AND HELP!” Papyrus put his hand on his hip while Kitten giggled and reached both of their arms out, asking to be held.

Both you and Toriel looked at him; you saw the look on his face, but you couldn’t even begin to read it, but Toriel smiled almost knowingly.

“eh? ah, sorry, paps,” Sans forced his grin back onto his face before he strolled in and picked up Kitten from the counter, “ya know me, i’d rather not be _doughin_ anythin.”

Toriel snorted and covered her mouth with a paw while Papyrus yelled, “DON’T RUIN THIS MOMENT WITH YOUR HORRIBLE JOKES, BROTHER!”

“Don’t be like that, Papyrus,” Toriel sounded like she was using all of her might to hold back her laughter, “We shouldn’t trust any _cookie_ ng to your brother anyway!”

Both Sans and Toriel burst into laughter while Papyrus exploded, “LADY ASGORE, NOT YOU TOO?!”

There was a moment where a thought occurred to you and you opened your mouth to add calmly, “Don’t worry, Papryus; those jokes are pretty half- _baked_ , anyway.”

Sans and Toriel froze, staring at you.

“I MOST CERTAINLY AGREE, HUMAN, IN FACT-“ Papyrus froze, blinking at you before he let out an annoyed yell and started to stomp the floor with one foot, “SANS, YOU HAVE CORRUPTED YET ANOTHER WITH YOUR HORRENDOUS HUMOR AND HORRIBLE JOKES! JUST WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?”

Sans snorted, then he and Toriel were gone again, leaning against the counters for support as they continued laughing. Sans had to put Kitten down to avoid the risk of dropping them, even as you watched on calmly, but with a small smile on your face.

Is this what ‘home’ felt like?

Despite the fun and mirth, it eventually died down to a lull when Kitten started to nod off while waiting for the cookies to bake.

“Normally, I’d use magical fire to speed the process along,” Toriel explained to you while Sans and Kitten dozed on a nearby couch, “But there is something relaxing about doing it the human way.”

“Magical fire?” You asked curiously, blinking as the goat woman giggled.

“All monsters have a type of magic,” Toriel explained, “Asgore and I share a type, which is Fire; other monsters will have other types, you see?”

“I think so,” You nodded, “It makes sense, I suppose…”

“Magic can be very mysterious, even to us monsters,” Toriel explained, “But there are things that hold true, even under scrutiny.”

“What about the brothers?” You glanced through the archway from your place in the kitchen and let your eyes pass over Sans and Kitten—Papyrus, you figured, had gone to find something productive to do.

“They both excel in bone magic,” Toriel said, but she watched Sans too, “I’ve had my suspicions that both of them can do more than that, but they both can be pretty secretive when it comes to anything more personal than the surface of a matter.”

You sat back in your chair and crossed your arms.

“You seem that way, too,” Toriel ventured quietly, watching you.

“Hmm?” You blinked, glancing at her, “I don’t mean to be, I suppose; no one has ever been interested enough to ask.”

Toriel hesitated, but only long enough to let you glance at the oven, “Well, do you remember your parents?”

You paused to think about it, your eyes slowly moving over the walls of the kitchen as you did so, “I can…remember that I _had_ parents. I’m not sure I know much more than that.”

“Is that because of what happened?” Toriel pushed gently, ready to pull away the moment you gave a sign of being uncomfortable.

“I suppose?” You shrugged, “Even though it was supposed to be a large part of my childhood, I don’t remember the warehouse very well.”

Toriel hesitated, but didn’t push further, “I must say; it’s only been two days, but I am happy that you are here.”

You met her gaze and felt your face heat up, “Eh? Uh, thanks…um, Thank you.”

Toriel chuckled quietly, “You are welcome, my child.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	8. Sogni Nel Buio

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> Ok, I did want to address something here, hopefully a few of you read my author's notes haha.
> 
> I understand that a few of you have questions about the Reader as a character. I understand she might not make total sense in your own understanding of what you know of her. That's totally valid, and it was somewhat on purpose. Knowing this, and please know I consider all of your concerns and questions valid:
> 
> Please, oh please, extend a little trust in me? It's totally fine to disagree with me on characterization, I completely am of the opinion that you can question a character's motivations, their growth, or even the way that I write them; but we're not even 10 chapters into the story, lovelies. I've gotten who knows how many asks (that I've answered privately) a review or two that are almost demanding answers from me and let me tell you, it feels like the work I've put in isn't really appreciated.
> 
> I'll be honest; I've proven with Hell is a Place on the Surface that I can bang out a chapter a day for a fanfic, and right now, I'm maintaining two with a posting schedule of every other day for each story, having them leap-frog their way across AO3, and while its not exactly hard for me to do this, it isn't easy either. I've given up my free time in order to provide you lovelies with this content, and it seems at every turn recently, I just have one bad run in after another with readers who think they can just insert their opinions and that it somehow does no damage to me.
> 
> I'm human, I'm not very demanding, I don't even expect or demand reviews for my stories (although I appreciate all the reviews I get, even the ones that leave me feeling a little emptier), but I do ask for a little trust, a little suspense of your belief, and a little respect as I take you through my writing and my stories. You can get on or get off at any point, I don't even ask that you have to tell others about me--its honestly enough that you spent any part of your day with me and my stories--you can even talk to me if you have a problem that doesn't have any relevance to my stories, its like I say at the bottom of every chapter: My ask box is always open, no matter your query or topic of conversation.
> 
> I guess my point is, its so hard to find the motivation to continue providing content for you lovelies when I get questioned at every turn, and when I feel like a few of you vocal nay-sayers feel the need to police what I write. 
> 
> Idk, I probably shouldn't be saying anything, but I've never felt that I couldn't be honest with you lovely people, so here it is :/

The nightmares were usually nothing for you. You had lived your life under another’s rule, you had no other memories of a loving mother and father, and nothing but longing and curiosity were in its place.

Even tonight, you didn’t really feel anything as the nightmare played out its usual storyline. You knew you should be scared, and in the pit of your stomach, you did feel some form of it, but it didn’t spread out to your limbs the way that it was supposed it. It didn’t spread, or move, or even twist your stomach the way it did when you were much younger.

Your mind pulled your fear, wrapped it tightly in a box and stored it away to be dealt with later. It was how you dealt with everything. You once heard Carlington call it something like ‘compartmentalization’, but you didn’t know what that meant.

What you did know, was that you liked where you were now, better than where you were before. You didn’t want to betray Sans and the other’s trust in you. Maybe you could settle somewhere and just feel…something; something other than the surface emotions that you didn’t know how to deal with.

They were so fleeting, so fickle and so much like water; the tighter you tried to grip them, tried to control them, the faster they slipped from your fingers. You tried to contemplate anything about this fact, but the nightmare was distracting you.

It was always the same. Your legs, trapped from running, and invisible hands holding you from moving as something dark and malevolent moved to devour you, or possess you…you simply let your mind box it up and put it away, and the feeling of the nightmare faded.

You woke up, your hands folded neatly over your stomach and your body rigid, even in sleep. It wasn’t unusual to wake like this; it was only when others forced you from your sleep that you ever were caught off guard enough to wake up any other way. Your body felt heavy with sleep, but you still sat up and rubbed your face with both of your hands.

Your brain felt so mechanical when you were asleep; even your dreams felt like nothing more than your brain working at not dealing with anything it could hide away at the back of your mind.

The house was quiet in the small hours of the morning, even Papyrus wasn’t up for his morning routine yet, that meant it was sometime before 5, and you had only been asleep for 6 or so hours.

Two weeks had passed since you had started working for the Dreemurr gang, and specifically under Sans’s direction. 14 days in which you’ve obeyed orders of your own free will.

Granted, Sans held the piece of paper with those strange words on it, and it was technically held over your head like a hammer waiting to fall, but it was better than being compelled to follow an order.

It was better than feeling your body drain of its own free will, while the will of another forced your body to move and your mind to go blank.

You breathed deeply and rubbed your face again.

There would be no going back to sleep; you could already feel the heaviness leaving your limbs and your mind was painfully clear.

Without a sense of what time it was, you settled back into the couch and found yourself staring at the coffee table. It was littered with things from the previous few nights—candy wrappers, cups and even a deck of cards that was scattered over the table’s surface—and a part of you dove inward, even as your eyes continued to observe the mess in front of you.

The store that you and Sans had tried to shake down—the one that was some kind of tailoring business—hadn’t been the only one. Gaster had tasked you and Sans to going to all of the places that were under the Dreemurr protection and see exactly who was being hit, and hopefully find the reason why. From what you knew, a few more people were sent out as well, Papyrus being one of them, but you had focused on the task that you knew about.

The results were something that left you curious and wondering.

All of the human businesses that you and Sans visited were being targeted. Not a single Monster store or establishment were even aware that anything was wrong; most greeted Sans joyfully. It was a strange sight to see, for sure. You were used to seeing fear, hatred, resignation, even sadness, but to see a proprietor greet the two of you in something akin to brotherhood, joy and even laughter?

You really had no idea how to handle it.

Of course, your usual response was to stand quietly and not say or do anything to draw attention to yourself—it was a well-played tactic, since many viewed you as cold and unapproachable, or even emotionless—but you were puzzled at the strange familiarity that seemed to happen between monsters.

The human side of things, however, couldn’t be more different.

The minute the humans inside of any establishment saw you—or more specifically, Sans—walking toward the place, it would empty out like the two of you were bringing some sort of plague. Usually, one human would remain to speak curtly to Sans, and more than once you had to put someone in their place when someone became aggressive.

But when Sans would finally get out what he needed to say, most of the humans would slowly look between you and Sans before telling what they knew. Many seemed surprised that monsters even cared about their predicaments, let alone would do anything about it.

“well, you paid us for protection, right?” Sans would always ask somewhat light-heartedly as he was walking out the door, ready to head for the next store front, or business.

Despite knowing how widespread it was that people were being targeted, it didn’t help in knowing who was behind it. At least, it didn’t help grunts like you and Sans. The fact was, you and he were part of a large spinning wheel and it was just a matter of meshing with the cogs of the wheel and keeping it turning, even if you couldn’t see where the wheel was going.

That was the job of those higher than you; people like Asgore and Gaster.

You tensed slightly when you heard a door in the hallway open and close, followed by a few light footsteps. Papyrus was never especially quiet, except for in the mornings; seeing as you slept in the living room, which was attached to the kitchen, where Papyrus spent most of his time outside of his own room, he had started taking extra care to not wake you.

Not that it mattered; you usually woke the moment he opened his door, but it was an nice gesture at least.

“Human?” Papyrus still has his voice lowered, even though you were up, “Is something the matter?”

“Nothing, Papyrus,” You shook your head, “I just can’t seem to go back to sleep, is all.”

“Is it bad dreams?” Without waiting for you to answer, he quickly ducked into the kitchen, “I know just the thing!”

You opened your mouth to argue, but it seemed pointless to do so. Papyrus was like a force of nature, unyielding and ever moving towards its inevitable goal. Shouting against a storm was about as useless as trying to sway the tall skeleton.

Soon after, Papyrus was sitting on the couch next to you, and warm mug of something that smelled sweet was in your hands.

“This is what soothes Sans’s nightmares!” Papyrus said easily, “So it should help yours as well!”

You blinked slowly, contemplating the idea that Sans had nightmares, before you brought the mug to your lips and sipped in the warm liquid. The taste of chocolate and something creamy washed over your mouth, making you hum in appreciation before you swallowed it.

“What is this…?” You glanced up at Papyrus, who looked proud at his accomplishment.

“Hot Chocolate!” Papyrus beamed, “I, the Great Papyrus, am very well versed in the things that bring comfort to others, because the Great Papyrus is a very Great Friend!”

You felt a small smile appear at his proclamation, but it faded almost as soon as it appeared, “Is it really that easy to consider me a friend?”

Papyrus hesitated, and you saw a look of confusion cross his face, “Of course, human! Sans trusts you and that is more than enough for me!”

Despite his reassurance, something nagged at the back of your mind, something important that you should remember, but couldn’t. Something…deeper, and more important than anything else…but what could it possibly be? And why were you thinking of it just now?

You’re head hurt and all you wanted to do was try to sleep again, even though you knew it would be useless. Another sip of the warm chocolate helped a little, but now your stomach clenched uncomfortably, almost threatening to empty itself-

There was an intense knocking on the door and it opened before Papyrus could even get up. You tensed, ready for a fight, but Papyrus put a hand on your shoulder when you both saw who was bursting through the door.

Undyne panted as she held the doorknob and stared between you and Papyrus before the words came tumbling out of her mouth.

“Grillby’s has been attacked; the bar burned to the ground.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	9. Realizzando La Verità

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> So, just so you lovelies know (and I'm sure most of you saw the fiasco in the comments last chapter, so this might be redundant), there was a troll in the comments and so I turned on Comment Moderation just to keep the comment section clean. Well, except for letting you all see the ass the hater made of themselves. That's still up so you all can laugh with me :3
> 
> Also, tonight's a slightly shorter chapter, cause I'm not feeling too well; hopefully some rest and relaxation this weekend will bring me back up to speed :D

The bar wasn’t completely gone, so there was that much.

The fire had consumed the apartment over the bar, and very few of the walls were still standing, but according to Grillby, the basement, where all of his stock was kept, had survived without a cinder coming near it.

The officially story—the story the human cops and firefighters on the scene believed and the monsters didn’t bother to correct—was that Grillby got drunk on his own liquor and accidently burned his own bar down.

Sans had nearly stepped forward in anger—the most emotion other than his usual giddy and joking bravado—but a look from both Papyrus and Undyne kept the shorter skeleton in his place and his mouth silent.

You waited until the cops stopped blocking the remains of the bar, and stepped onto the hardwood floor that was smudged with soot and dirt. You shoved your hands into your pockets and narrowed your eyes as you looked down at the way the soot and dirt was disturbed. There were the uniform boot prints of the firemen and police, but there was more disturbed. Swipes of movement meeting splotches and digs of heels that were clad in some kind of dress shoe.

There had been a fight, most likely while the bar had been burning. You weren’t 100% sure, but your gut was telling you that you were right.

The humans left, taking their flashing lights and painted cars, but you didn’t move until the other monsters started to gather around Grillby.

While Grillby told his story of what happened, you were more curious to watch the surrounding businesses. A few nosey-nancies were standing in their windows, watching the goings on and you blinked slowly when you realized that every business surrounding Grillby was human operated. Every person craning their necks to see the damage was as human as you were.

“Sans,” You moved next to you and nudged his shoulder, “Who was assigned to check the businesses over here?”

Sans hesitated a moment, torn between listening to Grillby’s tale and answering you, “ah, i dunno, pal…probably ol’ grillbz himself, if I had ta wager somethin.”

Despite his obvious worry for his friend, Sans hesitated to turn away from you before asking, “what’s on ya mind, pal?”

“There are a few businesses around us that don’t have ‘concerned citizens’,” You said calmly, your eyes darting between the two businesses in question.

One was a small general store, called ‘Simone’s’, and the other was a barber shop, and neither had anyone in the window, despite the ruckus that had been going on in the street.

Sans paused before his eyes scanned the businesses the way yours had. You could almost see the realization happen in his eyes.

“ya thinkin what i’m thinkin?” Sans suddenly asked, his voice lowered dangerously.

“I’m thinking that there are a few humans around here who would have liked to have seen Grillby die in that fire,” Your tone lowered to match Sans’s.

“Whatcha punks talkin about?” Undyne suddenly broke in, coming to stand near the two of you.

“what did grilbz say?” Sans ignored Undyne’s question for now, something that seemed to annoy her, but she still answered him.

“He said that three humans broke into his bar early this mornin and started trashin the place,” Undyne said, her voice clipped, “Grillby said he didn’t recognize them, but they knew enough to try and douse him with water, but one a’them slung booze and it cause a fire to start around them.

“Did they get away?” You asked quietly.

Undyne hesitated, watching you carefully before she finally answered, “The four a’them fought until the roof started cavin in; then the three men disappeared when Grillby had to avoid some fallin debris.”

It was almost endearing the way Undyne pronounced the ‘s’ in ‘debris’.

“we’re thinkin a few of grilbz’s neighbors mighta been in on this,” Sans finally answered Undyne’s previous question, “it fits, since he just went around askin them all if they’ve been gettin hussled. they mighta even told the husslers that we’re onta them.”

Undyne grit her teeth before a growl escaped, “Well, that shits all over our tryin to figure out who’s tryin to dig inta our turf!”

“More than that,” You broke in, “It means that we’ve put a target on our backs, since we’ve gone around and asked pretty openly about the situation.”

“Course we did!” Undyne snapped, “It’s _our_ turf! What we gotta be scared of??”

“i think what our human companion is tryin ta say,” Sans said in an exaggerated tone, “is that we lost our element of surprise, see?”

Undyne paused before crossing her arms, “Damnit, those cowards attacked Grillby cause no one woulda suspected it.”

You nodded slowly, “And they’ll most likely do it again, hitting us in another place that we have unguarded.”

“we’ll have ta be extra careful,” Sans shoved his hands into his pockets, “And we’ll have ta find out who these jokers are.”

“And more importantly,” You added, “Who they’re working for.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	10. Un Passo In Avanti

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> So, those of you who read 'Hell is a Place on the Surface' might recognize the little trick I use in this chapter, but I'll explain it just for clarification because I flipped it a little :3
> 
> _Italics_ : Something that happened in the past.

“P-please, stop!”

You didn’t relent.

“We’ll tell you anything!”

You picked the man up by the front of his collar and pulled him as close to your face as you could without touching him.

“Who did you hire?”

The man flinched, maybe expecting you to bite him or something, but you just stared deep into his eyes as he tried to answer.

“I…I don’t know who they are,” He said, his voice weak, “Th-they always come here!”

“Wrong answer,” You said evenly.

Your knee connected to his stomach and you let him drop to the floor.

“geez, pal,” Sans glanced down at the man before pulling a cigarette out of his breast pocket and lighting it, “ya can give someone the spooks with that look on ya face.”

You knew you weren’t showing any expression, so you could only assume it was unusual not to show emotion in this situation.

“And what exactly should I look like?” You asked before kicking the man in the side, because he was trying to crawl away.

The woman—who you thought was the man’s wife, or perhaps a girlfriend—shrieked from the corner you and Sans had sat her in. Sans mentioned he preferred to leave the ladies out of the hassling, which struck you as oddly chivalrous, but not unlike him.

“i dunno, maybe angry?” Sans chuckled before letting the smoke blow out of his nose; his left eye suddenly lit up to shine bright blue, lifting the man and throwing him against a wall, making shelves knock over in the back of the store.

The two of you had caught them as they had tried to go out the back door into the alleyway and ushered them back in. Despite them putting up a fuss, it had been an easy job to do.

_In Sans’s own opinion, it was always when the bosses asked for him to shut the door to their office that he was about to hate his job._

_The only difference this time was that you were here as well. It wasn’t a surprise that Gaster and Asgore would have you there, of course. The moment that they assigned him to be responsible over you, he figured they’d wanted you to stand in as a sort of a second ‘exterminator’ or as the job was usually titled._

_As soon as the door was closed, Sans turned back to stand next to you._

_“This is a serious problem,” Gaster started, his hand folded in front of his mouth, “It is lucky that Grillby was not harmed, but with so many potential targets, including you two, we need to know what’s going on… _now_.”_

_You already had a feeling you knew what would be ordered._

_“We had our own investigators look into those two stores you told us about, Sans,” Gaster continued, “But it’s the general store that we have to worry about.”_

_“we gotta get some answers, eh boss?” Sans put his hands into his pockets, closing one eye lazily._

_You glanced at Sans before your eyes darted between Gaster and Asgore. It had been a few days since Grillby had been rendered homeless, but this was the first you heard that anything was going to be done about it; it wasn’t suprising, honestly, but realizing that you and Sans were part of this gang’s exterminator team made you wonder why the two of you were so out of the loop._

The woman finally shouted, “He’s telling the truth! Oh god, you’re going to kill him!”

“an unfortunate side effect of choosing to side against the dreemurr gang,” Sans answered her easily before nodding to you.

You walked up to the man and cracked your knuckles, “Last chance: anything you know could save both of your lives.”

The woman moaned in fear, but you were focused on your work.

The man’s eyes darted from yours, then toward the woman, then back to you. You could see the wheels in his head turning, deciding if his life was worth the information he knew; more importantly, if the _woman’s_ life was more important than the information.

“Time’s up,” You said quietly, pulling back your fist.

“WAIT!” The man shouted suddenly, sending another trail of blood down his chin, “Wait, I’ll tell you…”

You froze, your eyes darting up to watch his as he spoke.

“Th-the men, when they came, they told us that they were interested in the bar, across the street,” The man swallowed, closing his eyes tightly as if it would help his memory—more likely, he was trying to get away from your heavy stare, “They said they wanted to know if something odd happened.”

“did they say what ‘somethin odd’ meant?” Sans was watching intently, the cigarette burning forgotten between his fingers.

“No, they just left a phone number and left!” The man moaned.

“Why did you call?” You asked.

“The guy, Grillby?” Sans looked murderous at the man saying Grillby’s name, “He showed up one day, asking if we’d been solicited by some men…and I thought, hey this is odd, right?”

He opened his eyes and nearly whimpered when he saw Sans moving closer, “oooh, pal…you chose the wrong side of this conflict.”

_“The priority is answers, yes,” Asgore said easily, “But an example needs to be made of this situation.”_

_Sans shifted a little and you got the sense he didn’t like what Asgore said. You, on the other hand…this was the part that you understood._

_After all of the ‘home’ life, trying to get used to people being kind to you, trying to understand what exactly is expected of you…this was familiar territory. This you could handle without question._

_“whatever you say, boss,” Sans finally answered, “we’ll get the job done.”_

_The two of you were dismissed and you both started to walk out of the house; no stops to check in with Toriel today. Your stomach twisted at that thought, but you didn’t turn around. Your relationship with Toriel was the strangest one for you, but also the most comfortable. You craved for her attention and approval even as you tried to hold her at an arm’s length—which was impossible anyway; the woman was so kind and caring that even you couldn’t maintain a wall between your heart and her gentle kindness._

_You glanced at Sans as the two of you turned onto the main road and started walking._

_“Are you ok?” You asked quietly, though you didn’t really think you needed to know. A job was a job._

_“heh, despite bein an excellent exterminator, pal,” Sans said before he lead to down an alleyway, one hand coming out to hold your sleeve, “i never much had a taste for it.”_

A part of you had wondered if Sans would actually go through with what had to be done, but the question left your mind the moment you saw the look on Sans’s face.

His usual grin was nearly a frown, and his mouth was small; one eye was as black as a void, and the other was beginning to flash blue and yellow, yellow and blue, so fast that it was making you feel dizzy. Despite the wave of nausea, you still backed away, clearly seeing murder in Sans’s eyes.

The woman, who couldn’t see Sans’s face, began pleading, “Please, that’s all there is, just let us go, we won’t tell what happened, we won’t even talk to those men anymore-“

You turned and started walking towards her, making her stop talking mid-sentence.

“Don’t misunderstand,” You said, “This isn’t just some interrogation where everyone gets to walk away, spot-free; we _want_ you to talk about it, lady; because this is the part where you and everyone is reminded what happens when you choose to side against the Dreemurrs.”

Almost on cue, you heard what sounded like a cannon going off behind you, and you glanced back to see a strange, animal-like skull floating to one side of Sans, its mouth opened wide and a flashing yellow beam shooting through the wall where the man used to be.

The woman shrieked, her whole body slumping in a moment of panic, and she fainted.

You took a deep breath and shoved your hands into your pockets while the energy in the air finally settled and the strange animal skull faded away to wherever it came from. You caught the way Sans’s head fell a little, before he was straight-backed and turning to meet your gaze.

Another moment of silence happened before you broke it.

“So…anger, huh?”

Sans paused before a chuckle left him, “sure, why not?”

It was a break in the tension, a sort of promissory note from you that you wouldn’t ask, and he wouldn’t tell. The job was hard enough without all the questions, and you decided that if Sans really wanted you to know, he’d let you know.

It was strange, having that sort of trust in someone.

“so, what do we know, now?” Sans took one last drag from his cigarette—there was barely enough for a drag, he had forgotten it for so long—and expelled the smoke with his words.

“Honestly? That the lady has shitty timing,” You thumbed in her direction, “If she were still awake, we could ask her about that phone number; they probably gave it to a few different stores on this block, if they were watching Grillby’s bar.”

Sans chuckled, “or we could just go ask anotha store; this was the only one to make the call, after all.”

You shrugged, “Kinda late for us, don’t you think?”

“yeah, we’ll report back ta the bosses and get some shut eye,” Sans flicked his snubbed out cigarette carelessly and you took a double take on it to make sure it was out before following him out the back door of the store and into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


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